Press Statement from the Governors of Oxted School

The Governing Body has decided that in order to ensure that all parent, carer and stakeholder views have been received, the consultation period for Foundation Status will be extended to Wednesday 11 February 2015.

We recognise that some people have passionate and firmly held views, but we would urge everyone to understand that we are a school. Our first priority must be the educational and welfare needs of our students. For Oxted School, teaching and learning continues as usual.

We have carefully considered the request for a ballot and how this might benefit our decision-making process at the end of the consultation. We have sought advice from the Department for Education with regard to our responsibilities which we take very seriously. The views of our parents and stakeholders are extremely important, but must be taken into consideration with a range of factors including the views of the staff and student body and most importantly the best way forward for the education and wellbeing of all our young people, a ballot does not provide the depth of feedback that we require.

We highly value the teachers in our school and they have been informed and consulted on our plans. We have asked the staff to complete an anonymous survey and the feedback that we have received so far regarding collaborative working is extremely positive. Students have been involved in discussions within assemblies and have been encouraged to ask questions and express their opinions. Furthermore, we are holding a series of group sessions for any interested parties to meet with Governors next week.